urn:taro:utexas.cah.02092A Guide to the Nicholas W. Eastland Papers, 1803-1867Original EAD encoding by Laurel Rozema according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing
Instructions. November 2010Finding aid written in English.
Descriptive Summary
Eastland, Nicholas Washington, 1803-1891.Eastland, Nicholas W., papers1803-1867Materials are written in English and Spanish.19291 vol.Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The
University of Texas at AustinComposed of a volume of photocopies,
the Nicholas W. Eastland Papers, 1803-1867, document the Eastland family history.
Biographical Note

Nicholas Washington Eastland (1803-1891) was born to Thomas Butler and Nancy Mosby
Eastland in Woodford County, Kentucky. The family moved to Tennessee, where Eastland
married Frances Bates Moore (1804-1849) in 1823. The couple eventually had seven
children. In 1834, the Eastlands moved with Nicholas’ brother William Mosby Eastland
and others to Fayette County, Texas, where Nicholas received a Mexican land grant in
Stephen F. Austin’s colony. Eastland fought in numerous skirmishes against Native
Americans, including the Comanche Indians, and served during the Texas Revolution
under Albert C. Horton and James Fannin. Following the war, Eastland served as Chief
Justice of Fayette County and clerk of the county land commission.

In 1845, the family moved to Bastrop County, where they built a plantation named
"Paradise." In 1849, Frances died, and in 1864, Eastland married Nancy
Harrington Lee, with whom he had eight children. From 1863 to 1865, Eastland
represented the county in the Texas Legislature.

Composed of a volume of photocopies, the Nicholas W. Eastland Papers, 1803-1867,
document the Eastland family history. The collection consists of Bible records for
the Eastland family in Tennessee and Texas; an 1836 Mexican land grant for Nicholas
Eastland in Stephen F. Austin’s colony; and a photograph of an unidentified man,
possibly Eastland. Additionally, the collection contains several photocopies of
beadwork taken from a Comanche Indian killed by Eastland near Austin, Texas.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.